What traits does a wi-fi community want to attach transferring belongings? Reply: it is determined by the stakes. Occasional lapses in connectivity and somewhat latency is likely to be okay for those who’re catching up on electronic mail whereas driving a bus, however not for those who’re remotely controlling a 100,000-pound bulldozer on a steep dam slope. That’s why Aterpa, a Brazilian engineering firm employed to decommission Brazil’s tailings dams, makes use of Cisco Extremely-Dependable Wi-fi Backhaul (URWB) to remotely management heavy tools like bulldozers and excavators.
Distant management of unmanned methods can’t tolerate community latency
Following dam collapses in 2015 and 2019, massive mining corporations dedicated to stopping future catastrophes by launching applications to decommission tailings dams (tailings are mud-like byproducts of ore mining) constructed utilizing the identical development strategies because the failed ones. It’s harmful work as a result of heavy equipment wants to maneuver throughout unstable floor, and missteps can result in accidents. “Dam decharacterization, or decommissioning, is a comparatively new subject,” explains Rodrigo Campos, contract supervisor at Aterpa. “You might want to take away the tailings within the dam, however you may’t permit individuals to enter due to the protection points.”
To securely decommission dams within the Brazilian state of Minas Garais, Aterpa determined to make use of unmanned methods. The plan: operators working in a central command middle would view real-time digicam feeds and sensor knowledge from heavy tools like excavators to remotely management these methods over the community. The difficult half was establishing a wi-fi out of doors community with the mandatory reliability, low latency, and seamless handoffs. Current mesh options and even the most recent Wi-Fi variations aren’t designed for these calls for as minimal jitter and latency can influence operations. If a video feed is delayed by even half a second, for instance, an operator won’t see an impediment in time to maneuver round it or brake, probably sending the tools toppling down the dam slope.
Extremely-reliable wi-fi for transferring tools
Aterpa discovered its reply in Cisco URWB, which gives the ultra-low latency (<10ms), seamless handoffs, and uninterrupted connectivity wanted to remotely management transferring belongings in high-stakes environments. “In our operations middle we’ve recreated the expertise of a standard automobile cab, full with a steering wheel and controls,” says Campos. Operators see what they’d see in the event that they have been sitting within the bodily cab on the slope, permitting them to securely steer tools and take away tailings. “With Cisco URWB, when the distant operator points a command, the tools responds immediately,” Campos provides.
Between September 2022 and April 2025, Aterpa eliminated roughly 1.7 million cubic meters (2.22 million cubic toes) of waste with teleremote operations over Cisco URWB. The communities close to the dams are not threatened. Operators are safer and the setting is cleaner. “After virtually three years of unmanned operation over Cisco URWB, we’ve seen that when the community is dependable, the operation is dependable,” says Campos. “Our working mannequin has grow to be a benchmark for the business.”
3 ways Cisco URWB stands aside
What set Cisco URWB aside from different wi-fi applied sciences for high-stakes operations like this one? First, URWB delivers near-zero (<10ms) latency. Second, when a linked system—say, an excavator, robotic, or practice—roams between entry factors, the connection doesn’t break till the subsequent connection is established. We name that “make-before-break” connectivity. Lastly, URWB sends duplicate copies of packets (like sensor knowledge from transferring belongings and instructions from operators) over as much as eight redundant paths.
Study extra
Discover us within the World of Options at Cisco Dwell to see URWB in motion and register to the PSOIOT-1020 session.
Examine Cisco Extremely-Dependable Wi-fi Backhaul.
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